Wedding

Winter is on its way, and if you’re looking to plan your dream wedding, then this wonderfully romantic time of year is the perfect opportunity to really make the most of your special day. With earthy, rich colour palettes, early sunsets, candlelight and glorious sparkle, winter is truly a beautiful season for your wedding. It even opens up the possibility of sprinkling some festive, Christmas cheer into the mix to really make the day one to remember.

Some people may shy away from the idea of a winter wedding due to the chills and possibility of not-so-great weather. But winter is a truly magical time of year, and there is so much that can be done with this season to put on a spectacular occasion. Here are seven steps to making your wedding a true winter wonderland.

Keep Nice and Warm

Whilst winter is a fantastic wedding season, the chill is inevitable. You’ll want to keep your guests as warm as possible so they’re comfortable and can really enjoy themselves as they watch you and your partner tie the knot. Whilst your wedding and reception will no doubt be indoors, create some warm space outside for anyone who needs a breath of fresh air with fire pits and cosy blankets.

Serving warm drinks at either the reception or on arrival is also a great way to keep spirits aglow. Good options include mulled wine and coffee liqueur for the adults, and festive hot chocolate for the children.

Wonderful Winter Dress

The bride’s dress is one of the key staples of a wedding. Winter brings with it the chance to really embrace a certain beautiful style that is perfectly suited to this time of year. Floor length gowns with sleeves are certainly a great choice to not only beat the chills, but to really give a classy and elegant look. Go bold with sheer lace that gives a frost-like appearance to really capture the essence of winter. If you’re a fan of being non-conventional, feathered wedding dresses are in complete harmony with the colder months.

For the gentleman, tweed suits are wonderfully chic in winter. A velvet blazer would also be an excellent choice, it’s a thick fabric that will keep him warm whilst also looking incredible. As for the bridesmaids, they will look amazing in full-length gowns in rich, winter colours such as dark red, gold, silver or green. Don’t forget all the appropriate winter accessories such as cover-ups and shawls.

Lighting up a Room

Winter is known to be a dark season, but that isn’t a bad thing. Whilst you may have to make sure you schedule certain events for earlier in the day to play to the available natural light, the growing darkness allows for some wonderful lighting opportunities.

Candlelight is the epitome of romance. Let your wedding glow in candlelight and decorate your venue with sparkling fairy lights. They are both wonderfully seasonal and an effective way to really bring a room to life with their warm tones and romantic twinkling effect.

Add Some Seasonal Sparkle

Whilst some people would be averse to the idea of glittery décor or dress at their wedding, winter is the perfect season to embrace everything sparkly. Don’t be afraid to add some glitz to your winter wedding. Whether it’s a sparkly brooch on the dress, glittery chair sashes or sprinkling the tables with gems to look like ice, a touch of frosty sparkle will really make the day magical. You could even incorporate some sparklers for your guests to have outside.

Winter-inspired Décor

A winter wedding gives you the chance to really get creative with your decorations. You can stick with a Christmas theme and hang mistletoe around the venue for some romantic encounters. Instead of traditional flowers, why not have decorative wreathes? Nature in winter can also be a source of inspiration. Incorporate some tree stumps, twigs and logs into the décor to give a stunning rustic feel to the venue. Table decorations such as pinecones and holly berries can also really tie together the winter theme.

Eat, Drink and be Merry

Food is an important element of any wedding. Take advantage of all the wonderful cuisine winter provides. Hearty dishes, such as warming soup starters and baked camembert, are the perfect winter treat for your guests. Serve some delicious hot canapes at the bar, such as mini jacket potatoes, breaded prawns and goats cheese tarts to keep everyone warm and full.

Sweet treats can also be given a winter twist. Consider hot desserts such as chocolate lava cake or sticky toffee pudding. For a Christmas flair, a pot of candy canes and gingerbread men will make adorable additions to the bar or the tables.

Arrive to Your Big Day in Style

You may think that winter would limit your options for transportation, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hardtop chauffeur cars make attractive additions to any wedding photos, and with a professional behind the wheel, committed to getting you to the venue on time, you won’t have to worry about the weather causing any problems to your arrival.

The arrival to your wedding is a big moment for you and your partner, do it in style from the back seat of a luxury vehicle being driven to the venue in time for that all-important grand entrance.

If opting for a bow on your wedding car, remember to match the colours to your elegant winter colour palette. You could even mix it up with some winter flowers or a wreath attached to the front of your luxury vehicle to truly get the day off to a magical, wintery start.

Smart City Weddings provide high-quality wedding car chauffeur services. We make sure you feel like a VIP from the beginning to the very end of your big day – come rain or shine, winter or summer.

With so many options available, choosing a wedding venue can seem like a daunting task. It’s probably one of the most important decisions you’ll make about your big day so it’s worth doing some research and thinking about what you want from a venue.

Finding your dream wedding venue doesn’t mean you have to stay within a 10 miles radius of your home, stretch your wings as there are so many wonderful locations waiting for you and your guests!

Located in the beautiful city of York, we have The Grand Hotel, Yorkshire’s only 5 start hotel that takes pride in going above and beyond on your special day.

Even though I live a couple of hours away from York, if I had an invite to a wedding at the Grand Hotel I would be over the moon and booking to stay there straight away.

Your Wedding at the Grand York

The Grand Hotel really is grand. It has that luxurious feel from the moment you step through the large wooden doors. Home to a whiskey lounge, the exclusive white rose lounge, the terrace and the luxury spa. Which have a fantastic range of treatments to help get you wedding ready.

The Grand, York offers four different Wedding packages, Grandeur, Splendour, Opulence and Ultimate in Luxury.

The Grand, York really do offer that grand day that so many happy couples are looking for, and something that sits within most budgets.

The Spa at Rhe Grand, York

The Grand, York is not just the perfect place for your wedding, it is also the perfect place to get wedding ready. The in-house Spa has some fabulous bridal and groom packages to choose from.

The ultimate bridal package is designed to help you get a restful night’s sleep, to help to get rid of those pre-wedding day nerves. The package includes, ESPA facial, back, neck and shoulder massage, full use of spa facilities, eyelash tint, eyebrow shape and a spa manicure. Everything you could want to be wedding ready.

The Groom the Groom package is designed to help the Groom feeling at their best. The package includes one hour exfoliating ESPA facial, full use of spa facilities, deep cleansing back exfoliation, back, neck and shoulder massage and a hand scrub with nail trim and tidy. The perfect collection of groom items.

Wedding printables

When you have found your perfect venue, it fits within you budgets or it’s so perfect you make it fit, you then start to look at all the other things you need to arrange for you wedding. Your dress, suits, photographer, flowers, invitations, the list goes on. The cost of each of these items adds up and finding a way to have the perfect venue but keeping the other costs down is really important.

The Grand Hotel in York have just released their very own range of free downloadable invitations. Not only are they really chic and beautiful they all free to download, you can print them off at home and send them out to your guests cutting down a lot of the cost of invitations. Such a brilliant idea from this fabulous venue.

The Grand Hotel York really is a fabulous location for your wedding, from the first time you step through those large wooden doors to walking out the day after your wedding. The Grand Hotel is there to help you every step of the way.

*This is a collaborative post. As always thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Honeymoons, should be just what you want, it could be a weekend in London, 6 months travelling the world or a 2 week luxury holiday on board a yacht. It’s your honeymoon, so should suit you as a newly married couple. Although for most couples when they think about a honeymoon it’s 2 weeks on a beach somewhere hot. But it could be so much more.

A luxury yacht for your honeymoon

Not all honeymoons have to be a beach holiday, have you thought about a luxury yacht for your honeymoon? Vernicos Yachts are a family run company established in 1975 that prides itself on offering a luxury chartering service. Offering luxury holidays, heading out to Greece, Turkey and Croatia.

Image:- Vernicos Yachts

After your big day all you want is to head away on your honeymoon, setting sail on a yacht as your start your new life together, would be perfect. Imagine having a yacht just for you (other than the crew), lots of privacy away from a busy resort, sitting on the deck looking at miles of ocean. A fabulous way to relax and indulgence on food, drinks and each other.

A yacht is one of the most stylish ways to honeymoon, waking up in different locations each day. Swimming in crystal clear bays, visiting islands that are not in the tourist books. The Greece islands are perfect for this, I have visited Crete on a couple of occasions and when we return next year we would love to charter a catamaran to see the island from the water. Your evenings would be spent enjoying a glass of local wine, while watching the stars. Visiting the tavernas for beautiful local food and drinks while on the land. If you love the water, then being out at sea is perfect for scuba diving, snorkelling and swimming, as while on a yacht you are only a jump away from seeing the world below the surface.

Luxury Yachts

Although many yachts sleep more than just 2 people, it would give you plenty of space to enjoy your honeymoon. Each of the Vernicos fleet of yachts is finished to the most luxurious standards, so you know that whichever your choice for your honeymoon, luxury is it’s heart. Each yacht will have crew on board, they are there to ensue your time on board is everything you dreamed it would be. Although they will be on board it will no effect your privacy, so you can enjoy your honeymoon without having to worry about the crew being there. Why not look at Vernicos Yachts chartering services for your honeymoon?

Although your honeymoon budget would need is be on the higher end, it would be worth every penny. Have you ever thought about having your honeymoon on board a yacht? I honestly think it would make for the most romantic once in a lifetime trip,

*This is a collaborative post. As always thoughts and opinions are my own.*